A Neat Trick to Book Biz Class for Fewer Alaska Atmos Points

Alaska Airlines and Hawaiian Airlines' new combined Atmos Rewards program may have a fresh name, but one thing hasn't changed: Alaska's Atmos points are among the most valuable in the world of points and miles. This might just be the best way to put them to use.

After some major changes to Alaska's former Mileage Plan program a few years back, most business class fares between the U.S. and Europe now clock in at 55,000 Atmos points each way – or more flying to and from the West Coast. But if you add a connection in economy – in the States or on the other side of the pond – you can cut the final price as low as 45,000 points each way.

So while booking Aer Lingus business class from Minneapolis-St. Paul (MSP) to Dublin (DUB) will cost you 55,000 Atmos points …

… tack on a connection to Paris-Charles de Gaulle (CDG) – or virtually anywhere else in Western Europe, for that matter – and the total cost drops to 45,000 points. 

It works on the other side of the pond with other carriers like American Airlines, too – and not just with a domestic connection in coach, but even if you're flying domestic first class before plopping down in that lie-flat seat across the Atlantic. 

While it won't bring rates under 50,000 points each way, this connection trick sometimes works on longer transatlantic flights from the West Coast, too. Those business class awards normally cost 70,000 Atmos points, but adding a connection in economy can bring your rate down to 55,000 points. 

You can even pair this trick with Alaska's amazing free stopover feature, building in a three- or four-day stop in Ireland before continuing to Paris with Aer Lingus, for example. Still, it costs just 45,000 points each way.

In each and every example above, these partner award tickets with a connection are pricing out lower than what they're supposed to according to Alaska's own award chart. Because the flight from Los Angeles (LAX) to Chicago-O'Hare (ORD) to London-Heathrow (LHR) measures in at 5,697 miles, a business class award should cost 70,000 points. And yet here we are: booking for 15,000 fewer points!

And it explicitly contradicts Alaska's published rules, which clearly state: “Mixed-cabin itineraries are booked at the award level listed for the highest class of service of any included segment. For example, where one segment is in Main Cabin and another segment is in Business Class, the number of points required will correspond to a Business Class itinerary, regardless of the relative duration of each segment”

Saving an extra 10,000 to 15,000 points when flying business class is huge – especially with how much harder it can be to earn Atmos points compared to the likes of Delta or United. In our minds, this is one of the best deals in the world of points and miles.

That said, this trick is hit or miss.

It doesn't appear that you can book business class to Europe from the East Coast for any cheaper than 45,000 miles by adding a segment in economy. Not every connection will result in savings, either. And while it might be more widespread than just Europe, we haven't been able to find any similar examples elsewhere across the globe – at least not yet. 

To quote the wise words of a fictional San Diego TV news anchor: “Sixty percent of the time it works, every time.” 

Airline mileage programs are full of these quirks, nuances, and workarounds. Learning about them and exploiting them to your advantage is the name of the game when it comes to redeeming frequent flyer miles. 

And Alaska is far from alone in cutting travelers a discount when booking this type of mixed-cabin itineraries. That's a hallmark of Avianca LifeMiles: Adding a connection within Europe in economy can make what's supposed to be a 69,000-mile charge in business class across the Atlantic drastically cheaper. 

But for Avianca, it's clear: The final price is based on the percentage of your total trip you'll be spending in each cabin. According to Alaska's own terms, this isn't supposed to work, period. And yet it obviously does!

I can't quite figure out the rhyme or reason for when this mixed-cabin discount works and when it doesn't with Alaska, though. Why does connecting through Chicago-O'Hare (ORD) on the way to London-Heathrow (LHR) drop the rate to 55,000 points? But if you have a layover in Charlotte (CLT) or Dallas-Fort Worth (DFW) instead, it still costs the normal 70,000 points? 

I don't know … and I'm guessing Alaska Airlines doesn't either! 

Bottom Line

A year after we first discovered this quirk with connections that can make a business class ticket to Europe even cheaper, it's still out there. And until the airline fixes it, it's yours for the taking.

If you've got a stash of Alaska Atmos Rewards – or transferrable Bilt points – take advantage of this workaround and fly across the pond in a lie-flat seat for fewer points!